Installation equipment for successive elongated units



y 1, 1963 c. WILLIAMS 3,090,110

INSTALLATION EQUIPMENT FOR SUCCESSIVE ELONGATED UNITS Filed Dec. 18, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

0 BYgf pwwd May 21, 1963 c. WILLIAMS 3,090,110

INSTALLATION EQUIPMENT FOR SUCCESSIVE ELONGATED UNITS Filed Dec. 18, 1958 a,

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2.

INVENTOR.

y 21, 1963 c. WILLIAMS 3,090,110

INSTALLATION EQUIPMENT FOR SUCCESSIVE ELONGATED UNITS Filed Dec. 18, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

y 1, 1963 c. WILLIAMS 3,090,110

INSTALLATION EQUIPMENT FOR SUCCESSIVE ELONGATED UNITS Filed Dec. 18, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 f 6 7/ 7; A67 Q $3"- U (4 0 47 z E I"; '65 6 w 6 n ij /6 l I /5 43 J5 FIG. 7.

INVENTOR.

MMM

United States Patent 3,090,110 INSTALLATION EQUIPMENT FOR SUCCESSIVE ELONGATEI) UNITS Charles Williams, 7058 Bancroft, St. Louis, Mo. Filed Dec. 18, 1958, Ser. No. 781,226 6 Claims. c1. a9 20s The invention relates to the installation of pipes, support rails for electric conduits, or similar elongated sections, a plurality of which are to be arranged in alignment end to end across a building or other area, and particularly to be mounted on a series of hangers having rollers at their lower ends upon which the sections are carried.

In the accompanying drawings and the following detail description, the invention is described as applied to lighting equipment comprising strings of fluorescent lamp fixtures supported by spaced hangers suspended from a ceiling or other overhead structure by means of metal rails disposed end to end between the widely spaced upright walls of a factory or other building of large area.

The installation of such lighting equipment requires the feeding of the elongated rail sections lengthwise and successively from one part of the area through aligned brackets which have been suspended from the overhead structure and are connected by a guy line extending between building walls. Sometimes the distance between walls will be several hundred feet. The supporting rail and electrical conduits and fixtures comprise uni-ts up to ten feet in length which heretofore have been pushed by hand from a common starting point, but this is difficult and there is a limit to the number of units which can be so manipulated. This is readily appreciated when the weight of each unit, approximately seventy-five pounds, and the possibility of moving fifty or more units is taken into consideration.

The general object of the present invention is to facilitate installation in assembled relation of a plurality of elongated units from a single initial operating station by utilizing a machine which grips and advances successive units as they are fed to the machine, and to guide the units fed from the machine along a predetermined course. A more specific object is to mount the installation machine on one of the units being assembled. As applied to lighting fixtures of the type referred to above, the invention comprises a machine having rollers for supporting the machine upon one of the rails to be assembled, means holding the machine against movement relative to the building walls and means driving the rail gripping rollers to feed the rails and parts carried thereby. The indicated general objects and more detail objects indicated below are attained by the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 shows diagrammatically a part of a lighting installation of the type described and feeding mechanism including guide structure and a guy wire stretched between opposite building walls and suspended from the roof by hangers into which the electrical conduit carrying units are to be inserted.

FIGURE '2 is a front view of the driving mechanism drawn to an enlarged scale.

FIGURE 3 is a top view of the driving mechanism shown in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal section on line 4-4 of FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a vertical section on line 55 of FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 6 is a vertical section on line 6-6 of FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 7 is a vertical section on line 7-7 of FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 8 is a top view of the guide structure shown in FIGURE 1, and drawn to a larger scale.

FIGURE 9 is a side elevation of the structure shown in FIGURE 8.

FIGURE 10 is a detail vertical section on line Ill-10 of FIGURE 1 and drawn to a larger scale.

FIGURE 11 is a detail vertical section on line 11-11 of FIGURE 1 and drawn to a larger scale.

FIGURE 12 is taken approximately on line 12-12 of FIGURE 1 showing one of the supporting rails in cross section and looking toward an end of one of the ducts, including bus bars, the duct support from the rail, and indicating one of the fluorescent tube lighting fixtures supported by the duct.

Referring to FIGURE 1, building walls W support ceiling beams or girders C, from one of which a plurality of rods, chains or cables S are suspended, each carrying an inverted U-shape hanger H. A taut guy wire L extends from Wall to wall and is secured to each of the suspension elements S or hangers H and holds them against swinging movement. Hangers H carry rollers H. Elongated rail sections R pass through hangers H and are supported on rollers H. At intervals clips P (FIGURES 1, 12) are secured to rails R by screws or bolts J and extend downwardly therefrom and beneath elongated ducts D which mount bus bars B. Insulation strips N shield the bus bars from the ducts and clips. Brackets K have upstanding fingers K overlying ducts D and supporting fluorescent lamp fixtures F by bolts Q. An insulating block T near an end of each fixture F is carried by fingers X which overlie the duct. Brackets K and blocks T are each applied to the duct by positioning their fingers parallel to and beneath the duct and then raising the bracket or block to the proper level and rotating it horizontally until the fingers overlie the duct. This rotation of the block and its fingers brings the block contacts Y into engagement with bus bars B. Legs Z depend from blocks T and terminate in jaws which grip a cord V leading from contacts Y to the lamp tubes U. All the above parts are known structure and in themselves do not constitute the present invention.

A feeding mechanism M is applied to the first or second rail section mounted on the hangers and operates to advance the rail section on which it is mounted, and successive rail sections applied thereto, from right to left, as indicated by arrows A, through successive hangers H. As each rail section is delivered from mechanism M, a duct D, a fixture F with block T may be added to form a complete unit. If preferred, a rail section, a ductsection, a fixture and block T may be assembled as a unit before being raised into position to be mounted on hangers H.

The feeding mechanism M embodies a downwardly opening rigid housing 1 (FIGURE 6). Horizontal shafts 9 with antifriction bearings Ill are journaled in housing 1 and mount spool-like rollers 3 with knurled rims 4 which ride on flanges 6 of the rails R and are aligned with each other lengthwise of the housing. At each end of housing 1 is an inverted U frame 29 (FIG- URES 2, 5) with an upper cross bar and depending legs 23 and 30 slidable vertically between angular gibs 33 on housing 1. The front leg 23 is pivoted at its upper end to clevis-like jaws 27 on the frame cross piece so that it may swing to the broken line position shown in FIGURE 5. Each U frame is supported from the top wall of housing 1 by a shaft 35 threaded into the frame cross piece and bearing at its lower end on a spring 37 mounted in a seat 39 set into the housingtop wall 10. Straps 18, 19 form elongated carrier members which extend between frames 29 at opposite ends of the housing and are secured by studs 20 to inwardly projecting lugs on the lower ends of legs 23, 30. lournaled on straps 13, 19 are rollers 12, 13 (FiGURE 6) respectively disposed below and in vertical alignment with roller rims 4 and cooperating therewith to grip flanges 6 of rail R when hand wheels 41 on shafts 35 are turned to raise U frames 29 and straps 18, 19 to the full line position shown in FIGURE 5. In this position, strap 18 overlaps the inner face of the lower portion of the housing front side wall and is held against pivotal movement. By rotating hand wheels 41 in the opposite direction, frames 29 and straps 18, 19 are lowered, releasing the rail from the rollers. Legs 23 may be swung out to permit the removal of the frame from the rail or its application thereto transversely of the length of the frame and roller.

A casing 43 is mounted on the depending rear side wall of housing 1 and forms, in effect, an extension of the housing. Shafts 9 project through the rear Wall of the housing (FIGURE 6) and are journaled in antifriction bearings 45 in casing 43. Driven gears 47 are keyed to shafts 9. A driving gear 49 and a driven gear 50 (FIGURES l, 7) are rotatable on a shaft 51, journaled in housing 1 and easing 43. Gear 49 meshes with gears 47. A driving pinion 53 and its shaft 55 is similarly journaled in housing 1 and casing 43 and meshes with gear 50 and at its forward end mounts a miter gear 57 meshed with a similar pinion 59 on the drive shaft 61 of a reversible motor having a housing 63 attached to an upstanding mounting plate 65 carried by housing 1.

Operation of the motor rotates shafts 61, 55, pinion 53, gears 50, 49 and 47 to drive rollers 3, 12 and 13. Normally this would cause housing 1 and all of the parts mounted thereon to travel along the rail, but such movement of the housing is prevented by guy line L which is gripped between the top wall of the housing and a clamp plate 67 forced against the guy line by hand wheels 69 (FIGURE 6) threaded onto studs 71 secured in housing top wall 10. When the clamp is tightened, against the thrust of springs 73, housing 1 and the remainder of the mechanism is held against movement along guy line L. The motor driven rotation of rollers 3, 12 and 13 feeds rails R and the parts supported thereby lengthwise of the guy lines.

When wheels 69 are turned to release the clamps, the mechanism may slide along the guy line. Clamp 67 must be released whenever clamp frames 29' are released for application or removal of the feed mechanism from the rail. Eyes 89 at the ends of housing I serve to attach cables or other means for anchoring or drawing the housing relative to rails R, but ordinarily will not be utilized.

To facilitate feeding of a rail, or successive rails, the guide G (FIGURE 1) is attached to the first or leading rail. The guide includes two elongated main parts 83 and 85 connected by a hinge E. Part 83 is a short section of rail R with its flanges 6 cut away near the front, leaving the sides 7 and bottom 8 projecting beyond the hinge pin. Part 85 includes a hinge butt portion 86 and a ribbed arm 87 tapering in depth toward the left where the upper and lower ribs are spot welded to each other at 90. The upper rib 87a extends beyond the welding and is curved upwardly at 88 and grooved transversely at 89 (FIGURE 11) to receive and bear against the guy line. A bowed leaf spring 91 is secured adjustably at one end to part 85 by screws 94 and is secured at its other end to part 83 by screws 96 so as to thrust guide part 85 upwardly. The extreme tip 93 of the guide is below the level of portion 88 and is guided into successive hangers H as the rail is fed by mechanism M. A coupling 95 is secured to the right hand end of guide part 83 and has keyhole slots 97 for receiving round head screws 98 to connect the coupling to the forward end of a rail R. A similar coupling is utilized aseach new section of rail R is raised for insertion into the feeder. Springs 37 yield to accommodate the passage of couplings between roller time 4 and rollers 12, 13.

With the structure described above, successive rail sections are raised to the level of hangers H, coupled to the previous section and fed forwardly by operation of the gripping rollers. Each section is pulled into the feeding mechanism by the corresponding coupling and thereafter pushes all of the sections ahead of it forwardly. The foremost section enters successive hangers H through the action of guide G. It is unnecessary for workmen to use ladders or other equipment'at points other than the starting point and the terminal point of a string of rails and fixtures. However, the feeding mechanism can be applied to the rail at any point between the ends of a guy line either for installation or removal of the rail sections and fixtures hung therefrom. The structure will feed a plurality of rail and fixture units rapidly and with no thrusting effort by workmen, thereby decreasing the time and expense of installation of the type of equipment referred to. The spacing of rollers 3 from the support frames 29 lengthwise of housing 1 and the means for adjusting the height of the ends of rails 18 and 19' which carry rollers 12 relative to rollers 3 facilitates the gripping and feeding of the rails. It will be understood that the contours and axes of rollers 3, 12 and 13 may be varied to accommodate rails of cross section other than that shown. A hand crank may be applied to shaft 51 to rotate the feeding rollers independently of the motor. As indicated in the introductory portion of the specification, the same general mechanism and guide structure may be utilized in feeding units other than lighting fixture support rails, and variations in details of construction and uses as indicated, and otherwise, may be made Without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the exclusive use of such modifications coming within the scope of the claims is contemplated.

I claim:

1. A device for feeding electrical conduit rail to a series of aligned hangers spaced apart and suspended from overhead supports and connected by a stationary guy line, comprising a horizontally elongated housing, there being a passage through the housing for the guy line, a clamp intermediate the ends of said housing for securing the housing at a selected point along the guy line, pairs of vertically aligned rollers journaled on the housing with the rims of each pair opposed to each other but spaced apart vertically of the housing, the roller of at least one of said pair being movable toward each other to grip an electrical conduit-supporting rail between them, and a motor carried by the housing and operatively connected to at least one of the latter-mentioned pairs of rollers to therby drive a conduit gripped by said pair of rollers.

2. A device according to claim 1 in which rail-gripping rollers are journaled on elongated straps extending length- Wise of the housing at front and rear thereof, and vertically adjustable supports for the end portions of the straps are slidable vertically in the end portions of the housing at the same general level as the rollers but are spaced apart horizontally of the housing a greater distance than said rollers.

3. In a device for feeding electric conduit-supporting rail, a U-shaped housing having a top wall and depending front and rear side walls and opening downwardly, rollers journaled in the side walls of said housing and spaced apart longitudinally thereof, an inverted U-shaped yokelike support member near each end thereof and having a cross bar and arms depending therefrom and opening downwardly and fitting over said housing and slidable vertically thereon, each depending arm of said support member terminating in a lug normally projecting inwardly of the plane of the inner face of the adjacent housing side wall, elongated carrier members extending from each lug on the support member to the corresponding lug on the other support member, the top edges of said carrier members being above the level of the tops of said lugs, rollers journaled on said support members with their peripheries extending above the top edges thereof, rollers journaled in the housing above and in edge-opposing relation to the rollers on the carrier members, and means seated on the housing for raising and lowering said support members and carrier members and rollers to project the upper portions of said rollers above the lower edges of said housing side walls, and a motor for rotating the housing-journaled rollers.

4. In a device for feeding electric conduit-supporting rail, an elongated rigid box-like housing, rail-feeding rollers journaled in the housing and spaced apart lengthwise of the housing, a narrow U-shaped frame at each end of the housing with a cross bar above the housing and depending legs slidable vertically in the sides of the housing, straps extending below each side of the housing and carried by the lower ends of said legs, rollers journaled on said straps below and in the same general vertical plane as the first-mentioned rollers and cooperating therewith to engage a conduit-supporting rail between them, said legs at one side of the housing pivoting on the frame cross bars to swing out from beneath the housing to facilitate shifting the housing transversely onto or off of the rail, and means positively holding said latter-mentioned legs against such pivoting.

5. A device according to claim 4 in which the means preventing the pivoting of the legs includes an upwardlyfacing groove formed by the pivoting legs and the strap mounted thereon, a downwardly-projecting lower edge of a side of the housing received in said groove, and a manually operable mechanism for raising the frames on the housing to hold the side of the housing in said groove. 6. A device according to claim 3 which is provided with means for engaging an anchor to hold the housing stationary against the thrust of a rail being fed thereby.

References (Iited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,224,046 Turley Apr. 24, 1917 1,244,043 Euler Oct. 23, 1917 2,018,087 Plass Oct. 22, 1935 2,157,676 Rose May 9, 1939 2,229,015 King Jan. 14, 1941 2,262,364 Hugel et a1 Nov. 11, 1941 2,324,176 Smith July 13, 1943 2,368,720 Mitchko Feb. 6, 1945 2,488,039 Sketchley Nov. 15, 1949 2,913,818 Somes Nov. 24, 1959 2,946,430 White et a1 July 26, 1960 2,975,512 Somes Mar. 21, 1961 2,984,898 Svensson May 23, 1961 

4. IN A DEVICE FOR FEEDING ELECTRIC CONDUIT-SUPPORTING RAIL, AN ELONGATED RIGID BOX-LIKE HOUSING, RAIL-FEEDING ROLLERS JOURNALED IN THE HOUSING AND SPACED APART LENGTHWISE OF THE HOUSING, A NARROW U-SHAPED FRAME AT EACH END OF THE HOUSING WITH A CROSS BAR ABOVE THE HOUSING AND DEPENDING LEGS SLIDABLE VERTICALLY IN THE SIDES OF THE HOUSING, STRAPS EXTENDING BELOW EACH SIDE OF THE HOUSING AND CARRIED BY THE LOWER ENDS OF SAID LEGS, ROLLERS JOURNALED ON SAID STRAPS BELOW AND IN THE SAME GENERAL VERTICAL PLANE AS THE FIRST-MENTIONED ROLLERS AND COOPERATING THEREWITH TO ENGAGE A CONDUIT-SUPPORTING RAIL BETWEEN THEM, SAID LEGS AT ONE SIDE OF THE HOUSING PIVOTING ON THE FRAME CROSS BARS TO SWING OUT FROM BENEATH THE HOUSING TO FACILITATE SHIFTING THE HOUSING TRANSVERSELY ONTO OR OFF OF THE RAIL, AND MEANS POSITIVELY HOLDING SAID LATTER-MENTIONED LEGS AGAINST SUCH PIVOTING.
 5. A DEVICE ACCORDING TO CLAIM 4 IN WHICH THE MEANS PREVENTING THE PIVOTING OF THE LEGS INCLUDES AN UPWARDLYFACING GROOVE FORMED BY THE PIVOTING LEGS AND THE STRAP MOUNTED THEREON, A DOWNWARDLY-PROJECTING LOWER EDGE OF A SIDE OF THE HOUSING RECEIVED IN SAID GROOVE, AND A MANUALLY OPERABLE MECHANISM FOR RAISING THE FRAMES ON THE HOUSING TO HOLD THE SIDE OF THE HOUSING IN SAID GROOVE. 